Ricks Greatest Fears
by driver picks the music
Summary: If you were to ask Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes what his greatest fear was, he would had told you it was letting his family down...then the world went to crap. One Shot.


**So I've never written much of anything for TWD before (but I have written quite a bit of other fandoms), just a very small little drabble a couple of years ago told from Hershel's POV...but I've been reading a lot lately and I just finished re-watching the whole series and have been in a bit of a Rick bubble...lol**

**Anyway, I have been toying with the idea of a Rick/Beth story, but I wanted to ease my way into a full blown story since I'm new to writing for this fandom, with this little one shot all about Rick.**

**Anyhoo...sorry about the uber long A/N**

**I don't own The Walking Dead or Any Characters, I just like to play with them :)**

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If you were to asked Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes what his greatest fear was, he would have told you, letting his family down.

It was a simple fear, one that many people had felt throughout time, he knew it wasn't anything special to him to care about certain people so much that he knew he would never be able to be everything he wanted to be for them. But it was his fear and he owned it.

_Then the world went to crap._

After leaving the farm, if you were to ask Rick, leader of a rag tag group of survivors, what his greatest fear was, you would get pretty much the same answer. He still feared letting his family down, but now that family had grown.

That's what they all were now, as they traveled the roads together, searching for food and shelter and keeping each other safe until they could find someplace to stay for more than a night or two.

It was a fear that they all felt. They all took it upon themselves to care for each other, but Rick knew that even so, they all looked to him for guidance. He was their leader and it was on him to keep them safe, to keep them together. To keep them alive.

_Then he failed._

He thought after finding the prison that things would be better, even if only for a little while. His relationship with his wife wasn't good, but he had a plan and he reminded himself of that plan every day.

Find a place, keep them safe, fix his marriage.

That was his mantra, the one he repeated to himself whenever he saw that look on Lori's face, the one telling him she just wanted to talk to him.

He had a plan and he failed and he would never get the chance to fix it.

If you asked Rick, the leader of a group of volunteer inmates, what his greatest fear was, he would tell you that he feared failing his family, because he had and he knew what it felt like and he never wanted to feel that way again.

He feared everything because nothing was safe in this world anymore.

_He was right. Nothing is safe._

After Woodbury and the Governor, Rick took a step back. He couldn't go on like he had been; it wasn't the right thing for anyone if he did. He made one mistake after another and second guessed himself at every turn.

If you asked farmer Rick what his greatest fear was, he would tell you it was himself. This time he stopped himself before he went too far, before he failed them all, but the fear was still there, that one day he wouldn't stop in time. One day he would go too far and let them all down, he would hesitate and make the wrong call.

_Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He can't really tell anymore._

Rick looked around the camp. It was small and they were all packed in, but they were together. Everyone except Bob. They had found Beth and were just about ready to hit the road for Washington. He doesn't know if it's going to work out, but he doesn't have a better plan right now, so he might as well give this one a shot.

As he looked into the fire, Rick thought back to Joe. If he thought about it, he could still feel his teeth sink into the man's neck as he ripped his throat out.

He thought about Terminus and what they had all gone through and then about the Termites they had killed afterword. He thought about what they had done to Bob and how he had felt making sure they never had the chance to do that to anyone else ever again.

He thought about finding out Judith was still alive and the happiness on Carls face as he held his sister as she smiled at her big brother. He thought about the reunion between sisters when they got Beth back and the relief and guilt all rolled into one on Daryl's face as they got the young woman back safe and mostly unharmed.

If you were to ask Rick, Deputy Sheriff, Leader, Farmer, Survivor, Father, what his greatest fear was, he would tell you…

Rick smirked as he looked into the flames.

…Nothing.

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****When it comes to the show I'm all about Bethyl and I would love to see Richonne happen, but I really love Brick in my fanfic. I also love Bethyl fanfic...I guess I would really love to see her with one of these two awesome guys. :)****

****Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it, and remember...****

****Reviews make you AWESOME!****


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